Brussels, Belgium, 8 December 2025 —  The European Council has today reached agreement on a raft of policies, which will set the direction for the EU’s new asylum and migration system.

Marta Welander, EU Advocacy Director of the International Rescue Committee, says:

“Today marks the dawn of a dangerous new era for the EU’s migration and asylum system. The files agreed upon paint the clearest picture yet of the increasingly punitive scheme that lies ahead - from ramping up deportations, to extending detention including for children and families, and giving states more opportunities to diverge from agreed rules when it’s politically expedient for them to do so. 

It’s real people and families, many of whom have already faced untold traumas, who will face the harsh reality of these choices - being forcibly removed from their homes, torn apart from loved ones, detained for months or years on end, or sent back to countries where they risk facing torture, abuse or worse. The IRC’s teams in Greece have witnessed how holding people in de facto detention, in a state of legal limbo, can devastate their mental and physical health. These latest developments repeat the same mistakes - only with greater force and fewer safeguards.

The EU urgently needs to rethink its plans, and prioritise humanity. It needs to shift its focus from deterring people from reaching and staying in Europe at all costs, to investing in welcome, reception and integration. And it needs to scale up safe routes such as refugee resettlement, so people have opportunities to enter Europe and contribute in ways that have been repeatedly proven to benefit everyone. 

Europe has the means and the ability to do better, upholding both its own laws and values. We urge policymakers to press pause on these dangerous developments, and instead chart a course that is truly humane, effective and sustainable.”

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